Homeopathy
is an effective natural system of health care that uses remedies comprised of
micro-doses of substances.These
remedies work by stimulating the natural ability of the body and mind to heal.It was discovered almost 200 years ago by a German physician,
Samuel Hahnemann, and since that time has been effectively usedin Europe for the treatment of acute
and chronic diseases.Interest in
homeopathy began to grow in the United States in 1825 and this completely
non-toxic system of health care became extremely popular because of its
effectiveness in treating the various epidemic diseases of the time.Homeopathic medical schools and hospitals
appeared all over the country and the results of treatment with homeopathy was
so impressive that life insurance companies offered a discount to homeopathic
patients.

This
natural health care system was not only generally popular, it also drew the
respect of many of our most illustrious Americans. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, William
Cullen Bryant,Louisa May Alcott,
Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe were all supporters of homeopathy.

By
1840 homeopathy was being used all over the United States and in 1844
homeopaths founded the first medical organization in this country, the American
Institute for Homeopathy.There were 99 homeopathic physicians in the state of New Jersey in
1860.That is one homeopathic
physician for every 6800 persons. What happened?

Opposition

In
1846, an organization was formed by non-homeopathic (allopathic)
physicians.This
organization was the American Medical Association and one of its goals was to
combat homeopathy and other natural healing modalities.They denied membership and consequently
the ability to practice medicine to any doctor who even associated with a
homeopath.One of the reasons that
homeopathy was such a threat to them was that the homeopathic doctors of the
day were trained physicians who were following a consistent philosophy of
medicine.Another was
because homeopaths were sharply critical of allopathic treatment, which they
saw as simply suppressing symptoms and depleting health in general.But the true reason may simply have
been financial.In a 1903 meeting
of the AMA one respected allopathic physician admitted that they never fought
homeopaths because of their principles, they fought them because they moved in
and got the business.The AMA
continued its onslaught against homeopathy up until the beginning of the
twentieth century when most of the homeopathic medical schools were closed down
or had deteriorated to the point where it was almost impossible to get an
adequate education in homeopathy.

The
decline of homeopathy

In
spite of the efforts of the AMA, homeopathy still existed in the United States
in the 1920's and 30's.Mark Twain
wrote that "you may honestly feel grateful that homeopathy survived the
attempts of the allopathists to destroy it."But two other factors completed what the AMA had failed to
do.One was the discovery of
sulpha drugs.These were
considered to be the "magic bullet".And, indeed, they were extremely effective in a time when
most diseases were acute infections that hadn't been exposed to any form of
antibiotic treatment.Sulpha drugs
quickly became the treatment of choice of both doctors and their patients.They were easy to use and acted
quickly.No one considered the
possibility of there being any harm in their use.Well, hardly any one.Several decades before this, James Tyler Kent, the great American
homeopath, warned his students about this type of treatment.He said that if we insist on treating
every superficial symptom without consideration for the whole person, symptoms
will move deeper and deeper into the body, causing more chronic diseases until
mankind will become so diseased that he will disappear from the face of the
earth.

The
final blow to homeopathy came with our increased infatuation with
technology.We as a country fell
in love with machines and with specialization.This changed our consciousness.People began to think of their bodies as machines with
interchangeable parts and consulted physicians who were trained in medical
specialties emphasizing one part or one system of the body.We even looked at our planet as
being made up of unrelated parts.Toxic waste was dumped just far away enough from where we lived with no
thought that it would cause any harm to people, animals, or the environment.The concept of the inter-relatedness of
everything was completely disregarded and,with this change in consciousness, homeopathy, with its holistic
philosophy, fell out of
favor.

The
rebirth of homeopathy

We
are now experiencing the results of this small minded attitude. The toxic waste that was dumped into
landfills far away from where we live is reaching us through underground
waterways.Our diseases are
becoming more chronic and more devastating - just as Kent predicted they would.These problems have created the need for a different way of
looking at health and disease. With this, homeopathy and its consideration of the
health of the whole person, is coming back into favor. More people are studying
homeopathy for self-health care and younger physicians are beginning to study
and practice homeopathy.

The future of homeopathy

Homeopathy
works by stimulating the immune system, allowing the body to throw off disease
naturally.This is
especially important because many of our present diseases are caused by immune deficiency
and many viruses have become resistant to antibiotic treatment.

This
completely non-toxic system considers the whole person, mind, body, and emotions.It doesn't separate one from the other.Because of this, it can treat problems
that defy standard medical treatment.It can also be used
preventatively, to raise the level of health of an individual and make him/her
less susceptible to disease.Finally, with the cost of health care going sky high, homeopathic
treatment is very inexpensive, costing a just few pennies to treat most acute
illnesses.

It
is clear that there is a need for homeopathy now, and in the future.Some have called homeopathy the
medicine of the twenty-first century.One thing is sure:those
who have taken the time to study it and use it have found homeopathy to be an
excellent system of health care with no side effects.Mahatma Ghandi has said " Homeopathy cures a larger
percentage of cases than any other method of treatment and is beyond all doubt
more economical.It is the most
complete of medical sciences."

For
further reading on the history of homeopathy I suggest Discovering
Homeopathy by Dana Ullman for a concise history and Divided Legacy- The
Conflict Between Homeopathy and the American Medical Association by Harris
L. Coulter for a more in depth study.